Back from the Game - Barnsley

[Einstein agogo]

ED millyband 4 prim minster

[Percy's Rocket]

ED millyband 4 prim minster

BMac for PM infact..got to give extra credit today. Stretch in MF was a good idea as was two up front and sticking with that even when Kiz was sent off (which was a diabolical decision). And using HRK was also spot on. Apart from that right wing break when Harte was out of place we totally dominated..Its a shame Long is not a great finisher because he does so much else really well..(thought Kitson looked the part last night by the way..if only). As for Jimmy..this was a 12 out of 10 effort and the header was a statement of just how different a player he is from 12 months ago...and again BMac takes the credit for that

Mills has scored twice from corners this season but we do need to make more of our set pieces but we did not threaten today and Harte needs to vary the delivery and we need decent crosses.

[Wiggypop]

Decent atmopshere as well.

What?

It was a pathetic atmosphere. Until we scored. As usual.

Tw@tl
P

[Trainspotter]

Worst referee (for taking notice of the lino) and lino for a long time. Everyone could see they hadn't got a clue with the decisive decisions.
Kebe was in a different league along with Kish. What quality (until the lino spoiled it for Kish). How can you get sent off for what he did??? Robson Kanu had a really big impact and surely deserves a start ahead of the one dimensional Long and Church - strikers who don't know where the goal is!! Noel Hunt also should be given a start. What has he done wrong?
One down point - how can we waste so many corners? Jimmy Quinn would have had a field day!!

[St Pauli]

Best part of the whole game was when y26 stood up when the stewards told them to sit down. result is a bonus.

[Trainspotter]

The Reading crowd will always be quiet, especially when there is nothing to cheer! They do come alive when the action gets going, as it did in the second half. Besides, they can't cheer when they keep walking along our row to go to the toilet or to stuff their faces the whole bloody time!

[Winvey]

Got to the game, just - Bl**dy Bracknell

+1

[Millsy]

Wrist slitters please take note; Chairman Tight Wad's team are 7th this evening and, if he's dining out on some of that Gylphi dosh, not only would it be no more than he deserves, rest assured that McD has yet to spend all of his share.

True. But the Rectum Crew seem to be missing the fundamental point that this sort of victory and this sort of performance and this sort of potential is EXACTLY why wrist slitting is occurring: at 7th we're a "nearly" club and this, as ever, seems to be our target even when ts blindingly obvious that only the slightest bit extra will bring success - the slightest bit that well KNOW we have after yet another recent windfall, which was allegedly unexpected and even unwanted. If we were relegation fodder we'd just shrug our shoulders and say "oh well we're poor/little/rubbish" and that'd be that. But the fact is that ALL we need, all we've ever needed has been just a little more balls, a little more belief, a little more ambition, a little more investment at the right time and we didn't. And that's what hurts. We could but we didn't. We can but we won't. As Gooding said today in one of the most on-the-ball comments I've heard from anyone (and remember this guy is an ex-Reading manager who knows the situation inside out and more than all of us put together can even dream of knowing): we missed out on Prem survival by goal difference - we NEARLY stayed up... we NEARLY went back up at the first asking... we NEARLY made the playoffs last year... and at 7th we NEARLY have a chance of doing something this year... yet at any one of these points a little more investment, a bit of balls paying the wages to hold a key player or replacing one who had gone would very likely do the trick. This is what is so annoying. As I say again and again, Madejski seems to be keeping us teetering in the NEARLY ZONE because it keeps the interest and makes the money without having to risk the Prem. Twenty years of "ambition" and we only achieved ONE Prem promotion, and the experience was so terrifying for Madejski that the team that almost made Europe was dismantled quicker than you can say "it'd be easier to stay up than go down". He has no balls. If the view from the Madejski Rectum is to be believed, the Premiership was financial suicide for us so you can't blame him for his reluctance to go back up in a huge hurry. Thereore I slit my wrists NOT because we're rubbish but because we're actually quite good but fail to take the final step... I slit my wrists at the thought of shelling out my hard earned cash and spending my emotions on a club that I KNOW have no balls and are aiming to be a nearly-club because that seems to provide the best attendance/risk ratio for Madejski - the master businessman.

But as you optimisticly say (and you may be right - it's just we see no evidence yet) - McD may well have those few million to spend to make the differene, and we may well rise abov ethe nearly zone and give it a real push afterall. That's all we've ever asked for and again if the Rectum Crew are to be believed he never wanted the sale to happen so therefore it stands that this money will indeed be ploughed back in to make up for the loss of Gylfi. THe razors are at the wrists because we see no evidence of it yet that's all.

Excuse the tangent. Good post overall, btw WR.

[Pseud O'Nym]

But the Rectum Crew...

Accepting a PLC's audited accounts over the word of some obsessive conspiracy theorists on an internet forum does not mean anyone is “living up JM's rectum” or an “arse licker”, and I for one find it pretty offensive to be termed as such.

I would have thought that someone who was so recently complaining about people being nasty to them, when you were so upset at the new manager's appointment, might consider not chucking gratuitous insults at people expressing their opinions.

Oh, and if your going to write something that long FFS use paragraphs. Nobody's reading all that.

[under the tin]

First half was nip and tuck. We huffed and puffed, but next to nothing clear cut was created to make the Barnsley goalie get his gloves dirty.
Feds made a brave point blank stop, and they screwed up on a breakaway when in all honesty, they should have scored.

I sit in the north stand, so was a long way from the incident, but it was clear that Zurab had allowed their striker to get goal side. Any contact thereafter, and you know what is coming.
The sending off actually seemed to have a galvanising effect on both the players, and also what I thought was a generally quiet crowd.


Jimmy Kebe was the difference between the two sides. He got even better in the second half, and was fully deserving of his goal.
McAnuff was his usual enigmatic self, bar one lung busting dribble through most of the Barnsley team, reminiscent of that Anfield one.
As an earlier poster noted, as soon as NHunt got on the end of the Barnsley wall, (unhindered, mind), you could tell what Harte was going to do.
At least he got that on target. Delivery from set plays was truly abysmal.

I'm pleased HRK scored. We're going to need him full of confidence, because, like others, I am convinced that our Malian magician will be playing at a higher level come January.
I think that the club will try Antonio/HRK in Kebe's position, and whilst it could work, the need to address the missing goal threat that Kebe's departure will inevitably cause will force McD's hand into bringing in a proven goalscorer up top.

[Row Z Royal]

Someone positive has stolen Floyd's login details!

I'm trying to work out whether Floyd's post was glass half empty or glass half full

FLoyd rarely has a glass. He's either sucking straight from the pump or licking off the bar.

[Barry the bird boggler]

A win was no more than we deserved, Barnsley were appalling. IMO they came for a point and nothing else. Didn't even change from 4-5-1 when Kingfisherwilly was wrongly sent off.

Once Kebe scored they then had no option but to get forward and consequently our pace up front finally told.

MotM = HRH, made first and scored third.

Special mentions for Kebe, Federici and Cummings who I think played his best game ever for us and clearly isn't the same player he was a year ago!

Usual downside though - strikers who couldn't hit a bovine rear extremity with a 4 or 5 stringed musical instrument made of plastic or animal hide stretched over a circular frame.

[Royal Rother]

we're a "nearly" club and this, as ever, seems to be our target even when its blindingly obvious that only the slightest bit extra will bring success

The naivety in this comment is very amusing.

If only life / business / football were that simple. The board of virtually every club that has ever gone bust will, at some stage, have reached that self-same conclusion.

[Woodcote Royal]

But the Rectum Crew...

Accepting a PLC's audited accounts over the word of some obsessive conspiracy theorists on an internet forum does not mean anyone is “living up JM's rectum” or an “arse licker”, and I for one find it pretty offensive to be termed as such.

I would have thought that someone who was so recently complaining about people being nasty to them, when you were so upset at the new manager's appointment, might consider not chucking gratuitous insults at people expressing their opinions.

Oh, and if your going to write something that long FFS use paragraphs. Nobody's reading all that.

+1 and many thanks from me and my keyboard

[Woodcote Royal]

We missed out on Prem survival by goal difference - we NEARLY stayed up... we NEARLY went back up at the first asking...

Couldn't agree more but your the one who's refuses to believe Steve Coppell, The Chairman and the audited accounts that all support the view that the manager had funds available which he elected not to spend AND THEN accuse others of being up SJM's rectum

[Royal Lady]

Well said 2ww1wc.

[Schards#2]

Agree with a lot of what 2ww&1wc says.

There is no ambition within the club ownership to suceed on the pitch, the ambition is to be sufficiently financially sound to avoid any further investment. If the team succeeds on the pitch, that will be a happy coincidence but it won't be as a result of the owners actions.

That is not where the vast majority of supporters want to be, hence the ongoing fall in demand.

It might be that, against all odds, we succeed despite the paucity of investment, it's happened before and that's all we can hope and dream of as the club won't be forcing the issue any time soon.

Personally, I think we've got enough in goal/defense/midfield/out wide to put in a serious challenge but we will be undone by the lack of a decent forward.

[facaldaqui]

Agree with a lot of what 2ww&1wc says.

There is no ambition within the club ownership to suceed on the pitch, the ambition is to be sufficiently financially sound to avoid any further investment. If the team succeeds on the pitch, that will be a happy coincidence but it won't be as a result of the owners actions.

That is not where the vast majority of supporters want to be, hence the ongoing fall in demand.

It might be that, against all odds, we succeed despite the paucity of investment, it's happened before and that's all we can hope and dream of as the club won't be forcing the issue any time soon.

Personally, I think we've got enough in goal/defense/midfield/out wide to put in a serious challenge but we will be undone by the lack of a decent forward.

I agree with the last bit. But I believe that we have no choice but to proceed on the basis of having a cheap team and waiting for the right manager and set of circumstances to come along: who knows, Brian might pull it off. That is the sensible way to manage clubs like Reading, and it's not hopeless: we've done it that way before, and so have other clubs such as Burnley and Blackpool. The Portsmouth way, or even the Hull way, are riskier and may lead to a greater fall afterwards. You could argue that at least Portsmouth had a memorable run, with international stars on the books and a cup win; but I would not take pleasure in Reading borrowing their way to success and then going bankrupt. The same way I wouldn't feel comfortable borrowing myself a better lifestyle for a few years until I couldn't afford the repayments.

[toppy]

But Kebe put Reading ahead when he converted Jobi McAnuff's excellent left-wing cross.

McAnuff nearly made it 2-0 moments later with a deflected free-kick.

The home side did get a second when, after Nathan Doyle brought down Kebe on the edge of the area, Harte fired home the free-kick.

And Robson-Kanu's injury-time strike completed a miserable afternoon for the visitors.

Really???

[Royal Rother]

That is not where the vast majority of supporters want to be, hence the ongoing fall in demand. If the team succeeds on the pitch, that will be a happy coincidence but it won't be as a result of the owners actions.

Sorry if I'm putting words into your mouth but reading your post, by saying "vast majority" do you mean that, what, 80%+ of supporters are unhappy that financial security is at the top of the list of priorities at the moment?

Also, you seem to be suggesting that whatever measure of success has been / will be had at RFC, credit would not be down to the owner of the business unless he pumps his own money into it?

Sorry, but I think both of those would be very far from the truth.